Alec Kylar
Alec Kylar, better known by his clandestine alias Silhouette, is a member of the Nerazim, more commonly known as the Dark Templar. He became instrumental in aiding Sanctuary after the return of the Prime Evils, known as the Emergence of Evil, and helped manifest The Quiet Peace in the years that followed. He is the one and only individual to become a member of the Nerazim in over 2,500 years. Through his enigmatic nature, Alec is considered by his peers as a master assassin, spy, infiltrator and mystic. Known for his morally grey outlook in life, Alec has gained both praise and controversy through his actions from his peers. For this, he holds a reputation of being distasteful, ruthless and untrustworthy. In private, however, he values order, stability, peace and above all, professes loyalty to those who work for those goals as well. According to Executor Ikeda, Alec's closest ally, the scope and depth of his interests are without precedent. While he expertly wields the power of the Void, it is his wisdom that earns him the respect of Sanctuary's leaders and allows Alec to hold a network of alliances across all the realms. Because of his vast connections, Alec has become an ambiguous and callous leader in many organizations across the world; he has developed incredible influence over guilds, clans, cults, and operations. However, Alec refuses to uphold political or social power in the public eye and wishes to remain anonymous in his work. Aside from his widely used alias Silhouette, Alec's travels across Sanctuary has allowed him to be world-weary and he has taken on many different names through the decades. In Kehjistan he is referred to as Mythan'thar, when translated means "Man of Space and Time" in ancient tongue. In the Western Kingdoms he is widely known among the common folk and monarchs as The Night Angel. Alec was given the title as The Outlander of Pandemonium during his travels across different realms of creation. Other common names and titles Alec will bear are The Shadowed One, Darkclaw, Agent of Trag'Oul and Alec of Northwood. History Upbringing Much is uncertain regarding the birth of Alec and his parentage remains a mystery. He was raised by his grandparents in the city of Northwood, northwest of Entsteig's capital. While growing up, Alec would often ask his grand-guardians who his parents were, but neither would speak of them and only that they abandoned him. At the age of 11, Alec's grandmother passed away, leaving him with his eccentric grandfather Fynn. He would frequently sneak out of the small house they lived in to play with his best friend Bacon, such as climbing rooftops, and do fieldwork for a small pay. In his youth Alec enjoyed a life of adventure; often times he would camp within the wilderness, as well as travel through the mountains and along the coast with his friends. His adventures lead him to meeting several people, including hunters, knights, merchants, and more, all of whom would pass their knowledge to Alec in return for his service as a part-time thief, informant or squire. Death became a familiar face to Alec, as he would often witness or experience deadly altercations with bandits and highwaymen. Fynn proved to be an important father figure in Alec's life, and for many years he taught and inspired Alec to read, write and expand his mind. Against his enemies, Alec learned to use his wit more often than a blade; his education from Fynn taught him to be calculative and most cunning. Fynn, however, held many secrets from Alec, for he was well trained in the arts of mysticism and clairvoyance; among the secrets Fynn kept from Alec was a mysterious artifact, a ring known only as the Shattered Pylon hidden within a chest in the house, that would later tie in to the fate of Alec's future. Silhouette of Vendetta Alley Alec garnished a clandestine reputation in his youth as being a highly proficient thief, his status grew in popularity among the underworld due to his unhindered success of breaking and entering, and was never once caught by the authorities. Many people caught glimpses of him moments after his heists, but none ever saw his face during his escapes into shadowy alleys. By 1255, Alec's status as a thief had achieved nigh-legendary status within Vendetta Alley, the location of his hideout; his signature cloak, mask and anonymity made him the debate of much speculation. He became known under his alias Silhouette among his peers. Alec remained mostly alone during his nighttime activities, albeit Bacon would accompany on rare occasions. However, Alec had a brief encounter on a rooftop with another mysterious figure that strayed into his area of the city, a young misfit like himself who was keen on underworld assassinations. He pursued this individual for many weeks after, wishing to meet the mysterious figure known only as Crystal. After nearly a week of pursuit, Crystal and Silhouette met in Vendetta Alley but did not unveil their identities by wearing masks, eventually bargaining for a truth so that neither would hinder the other on missions and, if necessary, become temporary allies. Alec became infatuated with Crystal upon discovering she was a young girl roughly his age, alas her mystique attributed to the fact that she was a Viz-Jaq'taar in training. Alec lost contact with Crystal after a short while, her whereabouts unknown. The Children of Chaos The experience of maturing with an unknown parentage made Alec bitter and with a desire to prove himself, thus, he chose a life of hard duty in the Children of Chaos, an underworld gang dedicated to seasoning children into a life of crime and stealth. Circa 1256, Alec and Bacon became acquainted with Rufio the Ruffian, an associate to the criminal underworld of Zulu's empire; meanwhile, Northwood was slowly becoming a haven for gangs and crime, and Rufio recruited Alec and Bacon into a small gang. Later, Zulu forged his empire within the Northwood underworld by recruiting orphans and misfits to deal in his affairs against the rival Thieves Guild. Alec took on a significant role in the Children of Chaos by acting as an informant and thief, while Bacon acted as a fence for Alec's stolen goods. His nighttime life lead him to do extravagant things in his Silhouette persona, as he would plan and execute small heists in the city with other youth members such as smuggling contraband, as an example. The gang's vote-chosen leader, Rufio, did not hesitate to use Alec's wits and strategies to enhance the group's activities. Alec succeed in establishing a peace between the rival Thieves Guild by acting as a diplomatic correspondent between both gangs; his actions caught the attention of Zulu and thus gained recognition as his favored member within the organization. Zulu slowly began taking Alec under his wing and groomed him beside Rufio for a potential leadership role, but Rufio became jealous of Alec's success and very assertively tried to sabotage him. Alec was sent on more diplomatic missions within the criminal underworld, meeting with important leaders on behalf of Zulu to settle debts or contracts. During a brief encounter with Natayla of the Viz-Jaq'taar at his hideout in Vendetta Alley, who would later become a legendary figure within her Order, Alec was introduced to the ways of Shadow magic; though a novice in the art of this mysterious magic, Alec attributed much focus on mastering his mind to the use of stealth, and his grandfather's mysticism further enhanced his abilities later in his life. Alec was warned by Natayla never to use Shadow magic as it would cause the most disciplined mages to grow mad, and never saw her again. Alec's took a leave of absence from Northwood for many months and joined Zulu aboard his ship Far Storm where he looked upon his captain as a father figure. Alec participated in several raids but refused to kill with Zulu initially questioning Alec's morality as a weakness but later accepting his nonviolent demeanor. Zulu at one point tempted Alec into killing by offering to help him search for his parents in return, but Alec refused. After living aboard the pirate ship for sometime Alec parted from Zulu and returned to Northwood for a simpler life of petty thievery at nighttime and to spend more time with his grandfather and friends. Parting with Alec were Robyn and Caroline, two fresh slaves who had been drafted onto the Farm Storm and had developed a friendship with each other. During his time away from Northwood Alec found that major changes had occurred within the Children of Chaos. Bacon had became Rufio's right-hand in Alec's absence and thus stirred a rivalry between the friends. Robyn and Caroline remained close friends with Alec and were welcomed into the Children of Chaos for their volatile witchcraft. Along with many of the changes to the group was the fact that all the weapon shop owners in Northwood has fallen under control of Rufio's power, except for one: Merek Vasili. After several declines by Merek, the Children of Chaos began to assertively dry him out of business by frequently raiding his shipments from caravans. Meanwhile, Fynn was missing and had been so for an unprecedented amount of time. Alec's views on the gang began to shift as he matured and he began noticing the increase of violence and brutal force as well as Rufio's moral instability. As Rufio approached the age of manhood, he started receiving contracts from the Thieves Guild, which brought a lot of attention to the Children of Chaos from other organized crime groups, thus Alec was promoted to an enforcer. However, Alec's devotion to the Children of Chaos would swiftly come to an end when he witnessed the brutal murder of a young girl at the hands of Rufio. Alec was nearly excommunicated from the group when he attempted to yield Rufio's sinister acts. In light of the rift created between him and his leader, Alec took a leave of absence from the group and began an honest living as a peasant. Love and Oblivion During the summer of 1257, while farming in a field with his friend Bacon, Alec spotted Rose on a carriage with her father while riding into town, and she glanced and smiled at him; her beauty flattered him and Alec followed her to the weapon shop that her father owned and introduced himself to her. Over the course of several weeks, both became close friends and eventually began courtship. Unbeknownst to each other, both of them lived secret lives. Ancestral Voices Gaze from the Nightingale Skycutter's Plateau On June 25th, 1271 Alec lead a small party to the city of Avalon on the island of Skartara. Among his companions were Maxmillion in seek of an Askari wife, Karen who sought knowledge of the Oracle Caste, and Arnold to squire for Max and spy for Alec. Weeks prior to his departure Alec sent a letter to the Oracle Caste regarding the events surrounding the ancient angelic sword Skycutter. The priestess answered Alec's message by summoning him to the island for council. Upon boarding the ship to travel to the Skovos Isle, Alec met an Askari ambassador on deck that welcomed him. Upon arriving at Avalon on June 27th, a trading city and haven to many traveling merchants, Alec and his party were warmly greeted by the Oracle Caste within their sacred stronghold, The Dome of Sight. While inside the ancient structure, Alec enjoyed breakfast with his companions and It is there that Alec further elaborated to the priestesses regarding Skycutter and its angelic influence over the town of Alderwood; Alec also described the negative impact imposed onto the powerful clan leaders within the surrounding region. The priestesses were initially eager to claim the sword, but over long council with Alec they decided it was best to leave the sword alone as fate had intended it to seize the plateau; they also agreed that such an ancient and poweful artifact should not be used as a means of profitable trade. Alec proposed that instead of gold, the Askari could reward the one who brings it to them, Sir Maxmillion, with a fair wife, but the priestess declined after much debate. After failing to pursade the Orace Caste in helping him in his quest, Alec instead turned to the Amazon Caste and sought out the Askari ambassador he had met in his journey to the island. After meeting with her in a local tavern, he convinced the ambassador to send word to the highest ranking official of the Amazon Caste, Cassia the Warmatron. During a long night of drinking with his party, Alec was summoned by a page and returned to the Dome of Sight where he was informed that his meeting with Cassia was approved. The next day, Alec traveled with his party alongside the ambassador and was lead upon horseback to Sky Trail Keep, home to a botanic garden within a valley and controlled by the Amazon Caste. With no permission to enter, Alec was instead greeted by Cassia outside the gates to converse and later returned with her back to Avalon upon horse after the two became acquainted. For almost the entirety of June 28th, Alec and Cassia spoke in great lengths about several subjects, including the events of Skycutter's Plateau during a lunch meal, as well as Max's wish for an Askari betrothal and Alec's previous conversations with the Oracle Caste. Above all, Cassia found Alec to be trustworthy enough after learning of his internal connection to the Eternal Companions to reveal her story of the band of warriors she worked with in Sanctuary to fight against the Prime Evils; Alec proclaimed an honorary and mutual respect toward Cassia and revealed the story of Mullins the Mighty, who encountered a horde of Azmodan's minions during his four year absence. By the end of the day, Alec and Cassia met once more in private to discuss the a potential pact between the Askari and the Eternal Companions. She promised Alec that she would give considerable thought to fulfilling Max's request in return for the Skycutter. Later that night, Alec, Max and Arnold intercepted a rapist who was being secretly protected by a Zakarum priest. Alec hired bounty hunter Goldwyn from a local tavern to bring both of them to their room, where Alec and Max coerced both men into leaving the Skovos Isle with them and travel to the Western Nations to face justice, thus preventing a potential war between the Zakarum church and the Askari. Arnold was placed in charge of watching over Father Isham to make sure he did not flee or report the incident. Near midnight, Alec introduced Max to Cassia at an inn to share dinner and bond over war stories, and Cassia spoke of her former quest giver Deckard Cain, whom Alec knew by reputation as Cain the Elder, and former comrade Isendra the Sorceress, whom she last saw shortly after the Worldstone's Destruction. Alec shared Isendra's whereabouts and her connection to his friend Katheryne at the Yshari Sanctum. After dinner and drinks, Alec and his party returned back to their rooms for rest. Early the next morning, Alec received a letter from Cassia to meet her at Sky Trail Keep. Upon arriving, Cassia granted Alec with admission into the botanic garden and entry into the keep's interior as a sign of friendship. Alec was surprised to learn that the keep housed an active Waypoint, and the two used it to teleport to the capital city of Temis. There, Alec was introduced to Queen Xaera and spoke briefly upon the agreement of an Askari wife for Max in return for the sword, as well as the demonic invasion of 1264 and the potential of their return. Alec gave his utmost respect for Xaera, thanking her for the aid during the Battle of Culver of 1267 and for receiving him personally. Before departing back to Avalon via Waypoint, Cassia gave Alec final advice by prompting him to search for Deckard Cain of the Hoadrim; they both gave each other a farewell handshake and promised to stay in contact. After traveling thorugh the Waypoint to Sky Trail Keep, Alec returned to Avalon and gave Max the news of his treasured wife if he brought Skycutter back. Later that day, Alec was approached by Goldwyn and told that the rapist was to remain with him and his 'employers', who Alec later learned to be a small but efficient crime syndicate in Avalon; Alec agreed, so long as they do not reveal the truth to the Askari castes. Alec forced Father Isham to abandoned his religious attire and dress properly for manual labor, clothes that would later suit him after he swore to his captor a whole year of service to him. Alec and his party left the Skovos Isle on June 29th and returned to Khanduras on July 1st. Character and Appearance Although a compassionate and multifaceted, Alec is a diligent, meticulous, disillusioned and well-reserved cynic who pursues a life of adventure and occasionally forays into heroism. Despite his outwardly cold nature, as well as his moral complexity and ambiguity, Ikeda has noted that behind his exterior hides a fiercely loyal friend, and a man of good humor and as someone not indifferent to suffering. He is also very protective of and loyal to his friends and companions, and was willing to go to great lengths for those who mattered to him. Though Alec would never admit it, his peers took notice to his kind-hearted and caring demeanor to the people he loved. Alec prefers to wear informal attire, and rarely dons his personal armor. When he removes his mask, which is seldom, he is described as striking. While in public and donning a civilian persona, Alec is often described as modest yet uses a suave wit. He will often speaks in riddles, preferring that others come up with the answers to the questions he puts forward rather than answering them himself. He is an extremely efficient warrior, vagabond, and mystic, though he will often find struggle in balancing his strengths and weaknesses. He has a dislike for swearing, with only a few individuals claiming to hear him mutter profanity. Keen observers of Alec often detect a veiled power, usually revealed in his eyes. Because of this, his eyes remain his most distinguishing feature, which are the colors green and yellow that reflect his moods, turning soft as fog or hard as stone. Alec is somewhat secretive and calculating, making him an enigmatic and quietly driven individual; he is nevertheless honorable to his friends, especially his lifelong companion Rose. Despite his enigmatic ways, Alec has shown himself to be an incredibly honest individual and hardly ever tells a lie, something he shares with his leader and close friend, Ikeda Cao, and thus a trusted right-hand man. Strangers often confuse Alec's independence and strength of spirit for a rash personality and headstrong disposition. Though he is wise and strong, Alec is not immune to self-doubt; he often doubts the wisdom of his decisions and blames himself for misfortunes he may cause, such as how Rose inadvertently turned into a Vampire after falling from the ship that carried them both. Ikeda has often described Alec as a 'paradox' due to his morally ambiguous persona, a trait that is conspicuously contrary to Ikeda's idea of heroism. Alec himself has repeatedly commented that that he "is no hero" and that his path lies in the shadows. Having been trained as a Dark Templar, he is a master of psionics and is able to read people's thoughts and emotions, which allows him to have great empathy towards others. However, he has developed an uncanny ability to read people and identify their underlying motives and intentions, even without entering a person's mind. He often finds himself questioning his moral compass and seeks guidance from Rose, the only person who can sway his empathy; Alec's interactions with her have led to a strong and complex relationship. Alec frequently shows remorse and has had revelations in his life. His experience in international affairs in the world made him a world-weary man, often expressing disdain and circuitous insults to those he considered cruel and foolish. Alec is also known to seldom blink.